Justin Blake Johnson (born May 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...

(BBL). He played college basketball for Western Kentucky.

Early life and high school

Johnson grew up in Inez, Kentucky and initially attended

Sheldon Clark High School Sheldon Clark High School (SCHS) was a public high school in unincorporated Martin County, Kentucky, USA, near Inez. It was a part of the Martin County School System. It was named after Martin County Schools Superintendent Sheldon Clark when bo ...

in Inez. He transferred to Perry County Central High School after his sophomore year to follow Sheldon Clark's head coach, Kevin Spurlock. As a senior, Johnson averaged 21.9 points and 17.6 rebounds per game and was named to the first team All-State by the Associated Press and the ''

Lexington Herald-Leader The ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' is a newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and based in Lexington, Kentucky. According to the ''1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook'', the paid circulation of the ''Herald-Leader'' is the second large ...

''.

College career

Johnson played four seasons for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. He was a key reserve for the team as a true freshman, averaging 4.8 points (fifth on the team) and 4.1 rebounds (third) per game. He became a starter for WKU as a sophomore, leading the team with 14.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 34 games played (26 starts). He led the team again in points per game with 14.5 and led

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

in rebounding with 9.4 per game and in double-doubles with 14 and was named second team All-Conference USA. After the season, Johnson left the basketball program to join the school's football team as a tight end. He ultimately left the football team during summer training camp to return to basketball for his senior season. In his senior season, Johnson again lead the Hilltoppers with 15.7 points per game and also repeated as the conference leader with 9.4 rebounds per game and was named first team All-Conference USA.

Professional career

Dinamo Academy Cagliari

Johnson signed with Dinamo Academy Cagliari of

Serie A2 Basket Serie A2, known for sponsorship reasons as Serie A2 Old Wild West, is a men's basketball league in Italy. It constitutes the second-tier of the Italian league pyramid, below the first division LBA and above the third division Serie B, with pro ...

on July 16, 2018. In his first professional season, Johnson averaged 16.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29 games played.

Pistoia

Johnson signed with

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...

of Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) on July 11, 2019. The 2019–20 season had a disastrous ending: it got interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and saw

relegated in the Serie A2 for the 2020–21 season.

Reggio Emilia

Johnson remained in Italy also for the 2020–21 season, signing a one-year deal with

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...

. He inked a two-year extension with the team on July 21, 2021.

Riesen Ludwigsburg

On July 15, 2022, he has signed with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the

(BBL).

References

External links

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers bioRealGM profileEuroBasket profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Justin 1996 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Basketball players from Kentucky Lega Basket Serie A players Pallacanestro Reggiana players People from Hazard, Kentucky Pistoia Basket 2000 players Power forwards Riesen Ludwigsburg players Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball players